Finished Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and want another entry in the franchise? Apparently, Konami wasn’t lying when it said that it wants to develop Metal Gear Solid games post-Hideo Kojima.

In the latest issue of Nikkei, it’s said that Konami has begun internal discussions about the next Metal Gear game. The same report in Nikkei mentions that Hideo Kojima — who’s said to be on vacation –has not mentioned whether he’ll be involved in the series’ next entry or not.

It’s said in the report that Konami is merely examining plans in developing a new Metal Gear Solid game, and no other details has been revealed. An unnamed Konami representative did say this, though:

When we start development, a large-scale investment will become necessary.

While that news might (or might not) be good news for Metal Gear fans, Duke Nukem co-creator and industry veteran George Broussard tweeted that he’s heard through the grapevine that Kojima Productions LA is no more.

BREAKING: Rumor tells me that Konami has shut down the Kojima Productions LA studio, taking with it approx 35 jobs, just before Xmas.

At this point, we honestly can’t say if Konami is indeed planning on making more MGS games, or if it’s sticking to its pachinko business and letting its video game IPs just fade into oblivion. With MGSV shipping five million units, I gather, that’s making the decision whether to develop a new MGS game, a tad easier.

Would you buy another Metal Gear Solid game even without Kojima’s involvement? What do you want to see happen next to the franchise?